How Texans are still paying the price for disastrous Easterby-Watson era

WHY NOW?

The Houston Texans will forfeit their original fifth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft and have been fined $175,000 for a salary cap reporting violation, the NFL announced Thursday.

This dates back to the Texans paying $25,000 for Deshaun Watson to use the facilities at The Houstonian in 2020, before GM Nick Caserio was hired.

The Texans still have 11 total picks, but the fifth rounder they lost could have been used to help the Texans trade up in the draft.

ESPN Houston's Brad Kellner, Cody Stoots, and Andrew Carlson react to the news on The Wheelhouse!

LISTEN to The Wheelhouse on ESPN Houston 97.5 or 92.5 FM every weekday from 3-7 PM CST!

Most Popular

The Texans are signing one of the best pass-rushers on the market. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Texans caught everyone by surprise when they traded for Joe Mixon on Tuesday. Well, it didn't take long for the Texans to top that move.

According to multiple reports, the Houston Texans are signing former Vikings pass-rusher Danielle Hunter to a 2-year, $49 million deal with $48 million guaranteed.

Hunter (age 29) is a 4-time Pro Bowler that played every game over the past two seasons. He recorded 16.5 sacks in 2023 with 22 quarterback hits.

Basically, the Texans traded pass rushers with the Vikings, as Jonathan Greenard signed with Minnesota on Monday. With the addition of Hunter and defensive end Denico Autry in free agency, Houston has a lot of flexibility on their d-line.

Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson should be thrilled about this addition, as Hunter and Autry will attract a lot of attention on the opposite side of the line.

Plus, the Colts were rumored to be interested in Hunter. So not only do the Texans get him, but that also means the Colts don't.

Texans tackle Tytus Howard certainly likes the move!

It will be interesting to see how the Texans deploy their pass-rushers. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein believes the Texans can get creative with their alignments, with both Autry and Hunter joining the team.

Interesting...

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM